Is 2015 a Make-or-Break Year for Aaron Dobson's New England Patriots Tenure?

The New England Patriots drafted Aaron Dobson in the second round for a reason. Two years ago, they saw something in him that made them believe he could be one of only a few wide receivers they've drafted and developed on their own. 

This is the year when he will have to prove them right. 

Before drafting college quarterback Julian Edelman in the seventh round in 2009 and moving him to receiver, the last wide receivers the Patriots had found and developed in the draft were Deion Branch (second round) and David Givens (seventh round) in 2002.

The list of misses is littered with hopefuls with as much potential as Dobson, but none ever lived up to it—or even came close. Dobson flashed a high ceiling in his rookie season in 2013. He started off with just 13 catches for 167 yards and one touchdown in the first four games of his career, but he picked up the pace with 22 receptions for 325 yards and three touchdowns in the next five games.

Player	Year	Round	Yrs. w/NE	Catches
Deion Branch	2002	2	6.5	328
David Givens	2002	7	4	158
Bethel Johnson	2003	2	3	30
P.K. Sam	2004	5	1	0
Chad Jackson	2006	2	2	13
Brandon Tate	2009	3	2	48
Julian Edelman	2009	7	6	266
Taylor Price	2010	3	2	3
Jeremy Ebert	2012	7	1	0
Aaron Dobson	2013	2	2	40
Josh Boyce	2013	4	2	0
Jeremy Gallon	2014	7	0	0

That's when he injured his foot, which prompted surgery and took him off the field for much of the stretch run of the regular season. He still finished the 2013 season with 519 yards, the most by any rookie wide receiver under Tom Brady, but he missed a large portion of the Patriots' 2014 offseason workout program.

More injuries limited his production in his sophomore season, and he finished the year having participated in only four games and having caught only three passes.

To his credit, Dobson is keeping it all behind him. 

"I'm not even trying to look back to last year. It's a new year," Dobson said. "I'm just trying to do what I can to help the team this year. I'm not trying to put that pressure on myself. I'm just trying to play football and have fun." 

Fortunately for Dobson, he's been doing both in organized team activities; the absence of Brandon LaFell from practice has given Dobson and other receivers a chance to catch passes from Tom Brady. 

Unfortunately for Dobson, he may not have as much of an opportunity to do either when the regular season rolls around. LaFell slid into what could have been Dobson's role as the go-to X-receiver. Julian Edelman plays a different role as a slot receiver, but he's on the field for nearly every snap. Danny Amendola proved himself down the stretch in 2014 and in the postseason, and he should factor heavily into the offense. 

That means Dobson will probably have to fight it out with Josh Boyce, Brian Tyms, Brandon Gibson and Jonathan Krause for the last two spots at receiver. In theory, Dobson should have the upper hand on all those players due to his youth, upside and experience in the Patriots' system. As we all know, that's not how it works in New England.

The Patriots have been known to jettison high-round draft picks early in their careers if the coaching staff feels they are not progressing quickly enough or are not in position to help the team that year. There are only so many roster spots, and they can't be wasted on players who won't be making any improvements. 

Dobson may have been a second-round pick a few years ago, but he'll be on a level playing field in July and August as he battles for a roster spot.  

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand.